Recovery is key to Choi’s first major

Published on 10/07/2012 02:56

South Korea’s Choi Na-yeon survived a tumultuous four-hole stretch after the turn to win her first major title by four shots at the US Women’s Open in Kohler, Wisconsin.

A commanding six strokes ahead of the chasing pack overnight, Choi triple-bogeyed the tenth and did well to salvage pars at the 12th and 13th before closing with a one-over-par 73 at Blackwolf Run.

The 24-year-old birdied the 15th and 16th in dazzling sunshine and shrugged off a bogey at the last for a seven-under total of 281, finishing four ahead of her fellow Korean and playing partner Amy Yang (71).

World No 5 Choi was showered in champagne by her compatriots after becoming the sixth Korean to win the US Women’s Open, and the fifth in the past eight years. She was asked how she had recovered from her triple-bogey at the tenth. “I tried to forget it from there,” she replied with a smile. “And then I had a really good (birdie) bounceback on 11. I also had a really good save for par on 12 so I got some momentum from 11 and 12 and that’s how I kept it going.”

Choi emulated fellow Koreans Pak Se-ri (at Blackwolf Run in 1998), Birdie Kim (2005), Park In-bee (2008), Ji Eun-hee (2009) and Ryu So-yeon (2011).